


Andon

by Lukra (49percentchanceofbees)



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 21:42:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13533129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/49percentchanceofbees/pseuds/Lukra
Summary: After Cobalt's death from Zeal, Andon doesn't know what to do with himself -- and the rest of the clan doesn't even know he exists.





	Andon

**Author's Note:**

> [read on deviantart](https://argetl.deviantart.com/art/Untitled-728494820) / [read on tumblr](http://starwood-stranded.tumblr.com/post/170342840884/after-cobalts-death-from-zeal-andon-doesnt-know)

“I think you know why I’m here,” Aridatha said.

The blue spiral did not look at her. He had barely moved from his current position, tightly curled around one of the supports in the lean-to that had previously belonged to Cobalt, since they’d returned to the lair. Aridatha was not, in fact, completely certain if he had eaten. Neither did she know his name, as he had proven unresponsive to most attempts to talk to him -- and, with everything else going on, it hadn’t exactly been a priority.

He didn’t respond now, either -- didn’t even look at Aridatha. For a moment she entertained the notion that he might be asleep with his eyes open. But when she reached up to poke him, just to check, the wing she’d aimed for twitched away.

“I want to know what you’re doing hiding amongst my clan.” Her voice grew a touch harsher. She had never known Cobalt very well, or particularly liked him, and if he had been up to something …

“I’ve been a member of ‘your’ clan for ages,” the spiral said, still without looking at her. “More than a year, I think. I’ve been here longer than you have.”

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“Maybe you should be more observant.” He coiled himself more tightly around the beam, tucking his head under his wing, as if dismissing Aridatha. Aridatha stared and said nothing: her grip on her temper faltered, her veins filled with an icy fury that left her unable to speak or think. But after a long moment, the spiral seemed to take her silence as a refusal to leave rather than the frozen rage it was, and unwound a bit, saying, “I’ve been right in front of you every time Cobalt … every time Cobalt was.”

His voice cracked the first time he tried the dead imperial’s name, the first real emotion he’d shown.

“You were with Cobalt? All the time?”

Instead of answering, he said, “Leave me alone. I won’t impede your clan. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Bluebird is moving in here.” The strange, newly-arrived imperial couldn’t continue sleeping in a heap in the middle of the lair forever, and the options for housing a dragon so large were quite limited. In that way Cobalt’s death was almost fortuitous, as awful a thought as that was … When asked, Bluebird hadn’t minded that their new home’s previous inhabitant had died in it -- though Aridatha still suspected that they hadn’t completely understood the warning.

“Who? Never mind. Don’t waste any time, do you? It’s fine. I won’t bother them.” The spiral’s words came in short, ragged bursts. Aridatha felt a pang of guilt -- he was right; no one had particularly mourned Cobalt, as standoffish and unpleasant as he’d always been -- but pushed it aside into annoyance.

“You really need to ask Bluebird about that.” Even as Aridatha suggested it, she knew it’d be pointless, considering the level of Bluebird’s conversational skills.

“Asking permission? I was here first.” The spiral made a sound that might have been a tiny snort. “Don’t worry. They won’t even know I’m here.”

Thinking about the idea of being constantly watched by a small dragon hiding in one’s ceiling, Aridatha said, “That doesn’t really make it any better.”

“Then what do you suggest?” the spiral asked bitterly.

“First off? You should eat something.”

The spiral blinked, looking slightly surprised by Aridatha’s response.

“Then, we have plenty of other quarters.” _Especially now, with half the clan gone_ , Aridatha didn’t say. They should probably make an effort to put this spiral in a room that someone hadn’t already died in. “We’ll move you in somewhere else, get you settled, and go from there.”

For a long moment the spiral said nothing. Then, finally: “All right.”


End file.
